The new baby boy at Chester Zoo is enjoying spending time with mum Dagmar and the rest of the Rothchild's giraffes. The birth of not one but two baby giraffes in the space of six months has helped with one of the world’s most endangered subspecies of giraffe. Latest estimates suggest there are less than 1,100 are left in the wild and the new male will help with the survival of this species.

The new born male was born to mum Dagmar and dad Meru and follows hot on the hooves of Zahra who arrived just before Christmas 2014.

Dagmar gave birth to the zoo’s latest arrival at 13:05 on Sunday afternoon and her new charge was up on its feet and seen suckling soon after.

Curator of mammals at Chester Zoo, Tim Rowlands, said "We’ve had two giraffe calves born in quick succession so it’s rather like seeing double! But with Rothschild’s giraffe numbers declining in the wild at an alarming rate, we really hope our not-so-little new arrival draws some much needed attention to the species. These animals are under real threat from a massive upsurge in poaching for their meat and are of high conservation priority – indeed the need for a concerted conservation effort has never been more urgent".

As well as successful breeding record with Rothschild’s giraffes, Chester Zoo has also supported important projects in the wild, including the first ever scientific review of the species. Its aim is to develop a long-term conservation strategy for the animals in Africa.

The male calf was born at around 13:05 on Sunday 7 June. She is Dagmar’s second calf. Her first was Kanzi, who was born at Chester Zoo on 01/10/2012, making her two-and-a-half years old

Rothschild’s giraffe are named after zoologist Lord Walter Rothschild, founder of the National History Museum in Tring, Hertfordshire

They are also known as the baringo or Ugandan giraffe

The species is identified by its broader dividing white lines and has no spots beneath the knees

Giraffe population figures are declining across Africa

Rothschild’s giraffes are classed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) with current population estimates suggesting less than 1,100 remain in the wild

With less than 1,100 individuals remaining in the wild the Rothschild's giraffe is more endangered than species such as African elephants and giant pandas

Roughly one-third of the surviving population of Rothschild’s giraffes live in zoos where carefully co-ordinated breeding programmes are creating a safety-net population for the species

Once wide-ranging across Kenya, Uganda and Sudan, the Rothschild’s giraffe has been almost totally eliminated from much of its former range and now only survives in a few small, isolated populations in Kenya and Uganda

The main threat to the species now is loss of habitat and poaching for meat and hides

In the past, giraffes were hunted for their tails, which were used as good-luck charms, sewing thread and even fly swats

The species is one of the most endangered of the nine sub-species of giraffe